What is cloud computing?

IT is rapidly moving from a function that is run, managed and maintained in-house to an outsourced service hosted in a secure environment and managed by a specialist provider. Cloud computing services are attractive because they enable businesses to transfer the responsibility of running on-premises hardware and software to a specialist provider, who manage the hassles and costs that otherwise burden IT departments, such as software upgrades and hardware maintenance.

Head in the Cloud?

Over the next 5 years, the need for a local on premise IT department will be dramatically reduced. The days of large upfront costs are gone, meaning high capex expenditure on infrastructure, expensive maintenance and ever increasing energy bills will soon be things of the past. Cloud is a pay as you consume technology which means you can budget your IT costs into a monthly manageable sum. A private cloud solution enables the hosting of a range of services from IT data and applications, to disaster recovery and telephony which provides significant cost savings.

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Cloud Computing Benefits

Cloud Computing Facts

Different cloud setups

“As a business resource, IT today looks a lot like electric power did at the start of the last century (when it was routinely produced by individual businesses rather than utility providers)... executives are routinely sidetracked from their real business... by the need to keep their company’s private IT infrastructure running smoothly.”

Cloud Computing Benefits

What are the real benefits to SMEs

Scalability:

Get the specific amount of power you need, when you need it, enabling you to increase and decrease levels to suit your businesses demands.

Cost Savings:

Thanks to the utility pricing model of the cloud, you only pay for what you use. Avoid upfront hardware costs, as well as the costs of maintenance, software upgrades, power, and the manpower to manage it all.

Disaster Recovery:

A full back-up solution of not just your data but your entire server operating system and applications.

Accessibility:

Host all your data and systems via a secure leased line connection which provides a high-speed private link between you and your provider.

Resilience:

Protecting your business against any potential IT failures that could cause down-time or disruption, fully backed-up to provide a complete disaster recovery solution.

Business Focus:

When you rely on the cloud, you can apply your time and money towards your business priorities, rather than worrying about your IT infrastructure.

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Cloud Computing Facts

5 facts about cloud computing

In the next 5 years, 75% of all IT processing will be done in the Cloud.

In 2015, end-user spending on cloud services will be more than £115 billion

Businesses fully utilising cloud computing save on average more than 15% on their IT spending.

82% of companies state they have saved money by moving to the cloud.

80% of cloud adopters saw improvements within 6 months of moving to the cloud.

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Different cloud setups

What are the different cloud setups?

Public Cloud:

It’s based on shared physical hardware which is hosted publicly and has multiple users sharing the same resources. It’s a cheaper option which may suit small businesses but does not provide a secure environment; think of services such as Google, Amazon or Dropbox. Many cloud providers provide access to a shared cloud via the internet which doesn’t provide a true managed environment and relies on the businesses existing firewall to prevent viruses and security failures.

Private Cloud:

bespoke infrastructure purely dedicated to an individual business which is hosted either on-site or at a service provider’s data centre. The private cloud delivers all the agility, scalability and efficiency of the public cloud, but provides far greater levels of control and security, making it ideal for medium and large businesses or those with strict data regulation and governance obligations. EBC Group’s Private Cloud enables customisation to best suit a business’s specific requirements including dedicated and/or hosted environments, something that cannot be achieved in a public cloud.

Hybrid Cloud:

Offers businesses the best of both worlds and provides both security and flexibility. For example you can use EBC Group’s Private Cloud whilst also keeping some of your servers in-house, which will provide extra control and resilience.

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For all enquiries please call
0121 585 4400 or simply to find out more about us at
hello@ebcgroup.co.uk